Angels celebrate Vladimir Guerrero’s election to Hall of Fame

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‘I have never been around a player that took his A-swing so often and swung the bat so hard but squared a ball up more consistently than Vlad,” longtime Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Guerrero on MLB Network Radio on Tuesday. ‘This guy was a machine at home plate.’ (Photo by Christian Petersen, Getty Images)

For all of the amazing things that Darin Erstad saw from Vladimir Guerrero, what sticks out to him today is what he heard.

“What I remember most is him taking BP and the ball sounded different,” Erstad said. “It was like he was hitting a golf ball. It was impressive.”

Erstad, who played alongside Guerrero in the Angels’ outfield, spoke by phone Wednesday about his Hall of Fame teammate.

“Without a doubt, the most talented guy I ever played with,” Erstad said of Guerrero. “There wasn’t a pitch he didn’t like. He just did things that my eyes had never seen in person.”

Guerrero awed many of those around him for his ability to make hard contact with any pitch in any location, most famously one moment when he got a hit on a pitch that bounced.

“I have never been around a player that took his A-swing so often and swung the bat so hard but squared a ball up more consistently than Vlad,” longtime Angels manager Mike Scioscia said on MLB Network Radio on Tuesday. “This guy was a machine at home plate.”

Adam Kennedy, the Angels’ second baseman early in Guerrero’s tenure, said Guerrero also had more subtle talents that helped the club.

“He was smarter and a better situational hitter than I think he got credit for,” Kennedy said on Wednesday. “He always moved the runners over. He set an example to the rest of the team by doing that kind of stuff. He had a good baseball mind and I don’t think he got enough credit for that. You never missed an at-bat, that’s for sure. He was always a pleasure to watch hit.”

The Angels signed Guerrero as a free agent prior to the 2004 season, following an impressive eight-year start to his career with the Montreal Expos. Guerrero, who had never been to the postseason with the Expos, proceeded to help the Angels reach October in five of his six seasons.

“His six years with the Angels was arguably the most impressive stretch of team success in club history,” Angels owner Arte Moreno said as part of a release from the Angels celebrating Guerrero’s election. “Vlad’s contributions to that performance will forever make him one of the more popular men to ever wear an Angels uniform.”

Tim Salmon, who lost his full-time job in right field when the Angels signed Guerrero, was also quoted in the club’s release: “Vladdy was the most talented and exciting players of his generation. He was a fantastic teammate and a joy to play alongside. I couldn’t be happier for Vlad and his family for such an awesome career achievement.”

Jered Weaver, who made his debut in Guerrero’s third season, recalled Guerrero throwing out a runner at the plate in his major league debut.

“I will never forget that picture in my mind,” Weaver’s statement read. “Nobody enjoyed the game as much as Vladdy and nobody handled being a superstar better than him!”

Kennedy said Guerrero’s clubhouse presence was also exceptional.

“He set a precedent for me of what to expect from a superstar-type player of how good of a teammate he was,” he said. “How much respect he commanded from the Latin players especially, without being overly boisterous about it. He was a big part of bringing the cultures together inside the clubhouse. To have all that authority in the clubhouse and still perform and enjoy the game was fun to watch.”